Greg Edwards (Pennsylvania)

Greg Edwards was a 2018 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

The Democratic primary decided which Democrat would run to replace U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R) in a seat that became more Democratic-leaning following a court-ordered redrawing of the Pennsylvania congressional map in early 2018.

A pastor from Allentown, Greg Edwards ran for Congress as a progressive in the style of Bernie Sanders, who endorsed him on April 29. He has the support of the Sanders-aligned group Justice Democrats, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Pennsylvania Working Families Party, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and the Pennsylvania chapter of the Service Employees International Union. Edwards' campaign priorities included establishing a single-payer healthcare system similar to what Sanders proposed on the national level, directing more federal education funds to schools in impoverished areas, and increasing the minimum wage.

Following the redrawing of the Pennsylvania congressional map in February 2018, Edwards said that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) attempted to push him out of the race. He said, “As far as I know, they only targeted one candidate to leave this race — the most progressive candidate, the only candidate of color. Their inability to understand why that’s fundamentally wrong says everything.” The DCCC denied that it was trying to push Edwards out, saying it was instead seeking more candidates for a state Senate seat in the area.

At the time of the election, Edwards served as the senior pastor at Resurrected Life Community Church. He received his B.S. in urban ministry leadership from Geneva College, his certification in community economic development from the University of Delaware, his master's of divinity from Drew University, and his Ph.D. from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary.

For more information about the Democratic primary election: Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election (May 15, 2018 Democratic primary)

For more information about the general election on November 6, 2018: Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

Biography

Edwards' professional experience includes serving as the senior pastor at Resurrected Life Community Church.

Elections

2018

See also: Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7

Susan Wild defeated Marty Nothstein and Tim Silfies in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Wild (D)	53.5	140,813
		Marty Nothstein (R)	43.5	114,437
		Tim Silfies (L)	3.0	8,011

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,261
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Wild	33.5	15,262
		John Morganelli	30.1	13,754
		Greg Edwards	25.4	11,602
	Submit photo	Roger Ruggles	5.4	2,467
		Rick Daugherty	3.9	1,760
	Submit photo	David Clark	1.7	777

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 45,622
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7

Marty Nothstein defeated Dean Browning in the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marty Nothstein	50.5	16,241
		Dean Browning	49.5	15,923

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 32,164
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Click here to see of list of endorsements in the Democratic primary

Democratic candidate endorsements Endorsement Date Edwards Morganelli Wild Individuals Lynn Abraham, former Philadelphia district attorney May 12, 2018 ✔ Katie McGinty, 2016 U.S. Senate candidate May 11, 2018 ✔ Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor May 11, 2018 ✔ Allentown School Board Members Cheryl Johnson-Watts and Ce-Ce Gerlach May 7, 2018 ✔ Lanny Davis, attorney allied with Bill and Hillary Clinton May 6, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) April 29, 2018 ✔ Professional boxer Larry Holmes April 23, 2018 ✔ Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure April 9, 2018 ✔ Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez April 2, 2018 ✔ Parkland School District Director Robert Cohen March 26, 2018 ✔ State Sen. Lisa Boscola March 21, 2018 ✔ Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Khan March 15, 2018 ✔ U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) March 9, 2018 ✔ Sara Jane Brace, Allentown School Board member March 9, 2018 ✔ Bill Leiner, former candidate for District 7 March 1, 2018 ✔ Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell February 12, 2018 ✔ Tom Muller, former Lehigh County executive February 6, 2018 ✔ Bethlehem City Council Vice President Olga Negron January 17, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Peter Schweyer Unknown ✔ State Rep. Michael Schlossberg Unknown ✔ State Rep. Maureen Madden Unknown ✔ Lehigh County Commissioner Amy Zanelli Unknown ✔ Lehigh County Commissioner Geoff Brace Unknown ✔ Former Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller Unknown ✔ U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)-NJ-12 Unknown ✔ U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D)-PA-02. Unknown ✔ U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) Unknown ✔ Organizations Congressional Black Caucus May 11, 2018 ✔ Our Revolution May 11, 2018 ✔ Lehigh Valley for All May 3, 2018 ✔ International Association of Firefighters, Allentown Local 302 April 29, 2018 ✔ Congressional Progressive Caucus April 25, 2018 ✔ Monroe County Young Democrats April 23, 2018 ✔ EMILY's List March 20, 2018 ✔ Common Defense February 7, 2018 ✔ Make the Road Action in Pennsylvania January 22, 2018 ✔ NARAL Unknown ✔ Pennsylvania Working Families Party Unknown ✔ Women's March PA Unknown ✔ Service Employees International Union-Pennsylvania chapter Unknown ✔ Justice Democrats Unknown ✔ Lehigh Valley Building and Construction Trades Council Unknown ✔ Progressive Change Campaign Committee Unknown ✔

Campaign finance

Campaign finance disclosures from April 25, 2018, showed the following:

• Greg Edwards had raised $357,000 and had more than $185,000 in cash on hand.
• Susan Wild had raised almost $290,000 and had more than $51,000 in cash on hand.
• John Morganelli had raised more than $230,000 and had nearly $115,000 in cash on hand.

The candidates reported the following the March 31, 2018, campaign finance deadline:

• John Morganelli reported raising $219,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $191,100 in cash on hand.
• Susan Wild reported raising $104,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $105,500 in cash on hand.
• Greg Edwards announced that he raised $140,000 in the first quarter of 2018 and had $220,000 in cash on hand. He said his campaign received over 10,000 individuals donations that averaged $35 each.

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017.
Democrats

Contribution sources

The Allentown Morning Call analyzed the source of the candidates' campaign contributions in a May 9 report. It found that that 88 percent of Morganelli's contributions of more than $200 were from inside Pennsylvania compared to 78 percent for Wild and 27 percent for Edwards. It also found that lawyers and law firms were the largest industry donors for Morganelli ($40,000) and Wild ($31,000), while internet companies were the largest for Edwards ($28,000).

Campaign themes

Edwards' campaign website stated the following:

“	Greg is running because he believes we need a bold new vision and legislation that creates a prosperous 7th Congressional District where our full potential as human beings is given the opportunity to learn, live, and thrive. He will work for a legislative agenda that shifts our existing political paradigm by making every American visible, and no one disposable, that includes: Campaign Finance Reform, because the value of our voices in government should not depend on the size of our bank accounts. Tax Reform that relieves hard working families and small businesses and encourages entrepreneurship, while ensuring corporations to pay their fair share. Prioritizing our children’s education with universal pre-k, creating equity regardless of zip code with a national fair funding formula for public schools, and debt-free college. Raising the minimum wage, which would strengthen the middle class by increasing spending and creating jobs. Standing against right to work legislation and protecting workers’ hard fought right to organize. Championing Medicare for All legislation that centers people over profits by guaranteeing equitable coverage for all Americans. Expanding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other anti-discrimination laws to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity and ensuring our LGBTQ communities have access to open and affirming healthcare. Protecting reproductive freedom, while fighting for reproductive justice so every person, regardless of geography and income, has access to the full range of comprehensive care they need. Reauthorizing the federal assault weapons ban, implementing universal background checks and mandatory home safety checks when purchasing multiple weapons, and requiring registration and insurance coverage for all gun owners. If the insurance industry is involved and their profitability is on the line, the gun industry will be regulated in no time. Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing of nonviolent crimes which strip people of hope and opportunity while guaranteeing inequity. Ending prison-based redistricting which incentivizes mass incarceration at the expense of individuals, communities, their economies, and our democracy. Fighting for a well defined path to citizenship that does not dehumanize or divide families by deporting undocumented persons in the United States.	”
—Greg Edwards’ campaign website (2018)

Republican primary election

Marty Nothstein defeated Dean Browning in the Republican primary.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 Republican Primary, 2018
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Marty Nothstein	50.49%	16,241
Dean Browning	49.51%	15,923
Total Votes		32,164
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Reporting Center: 2018 General Primary," accessed August 10, 2018

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Greg Edwards Pennsylvania Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Greg Edwards (Pennsylvania) - Google News

See also

Suggest a link

• United States House of Representatives
• Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election, 2018
• Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District

Footnotes

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Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Fetterman (D)

David McCormick (R)

Representatives

District 1

Brian Fitzpatrick (R)

District 2

Brendan Boyle (D)

District 3

Dwight Evans (D)

District 4

Madeleine Dean (D)

District 5

Mary Scanlon (D)

District 6

Chrissy Houlahan (D)

District 7

Ryan Mackenzie (R)

District 8

Rob Bresnahan (R)

District 9

Dan Meuser (R)

District 10

Scott Perry (R)

District 11

Lloyd Smucker (R)

District 12

Summer Lee (D)

District 13

John Joyce (R)

District 14

Guy Reschenthaler (R)

District 15

Glenn Thompson (R)

District 16

Mike Kelly (R)

District 17

Chris Deluzio (D)

Republican Party (11)

Democratic Party (8)